Furious parents of Scot killed by friend in car crash slam decision of soft-touch justice system

THE GRIEVING parents of a Scots mum who was killed in a horrific car crash have slammed the “soft-touch” justice system for allowing her killer to avoid jail.

Lois and Frank Tindall said last night (WED) there has been “no justice” after their daughter Jenna’s killer was given 180 hours community service yesterday (WED).

Alexander McCabe, 30, was driving behind his friends Jenna Tindall and Marc Edwards after they had returned from a holiday together in Spain last year.

The 30-year-old struck the rear of the car being driven by Marc, causing him to crash into a van at a junction in Millerhill, Midlothian.

Jenna, 29, and Marc, 26, both died at the scene and the driver of the van and his passenger were injured.

Jenna’s parents hit out after the sentence claiming that Mr McCabe showed no remorse for his actions and tried to “blame it on everyone else”.

The parents slammed the justice system for the sentencing – 180 hours community service, disqualification from driving for two and a half years and having to re-sit his driving test.

The Tindall’s believe Mr McCabe should have been given jail time, and that the whole ordeal has been traumatic for 8-year-old Abbie, who had to be pulled from the car but luckily survived.

The SNP were accused of running a “soft-touch” justice system in July this year after they unveiled plans to slash the number of criminals sent to jail – in an attempt to deal with a high prison population.

Jenna and her daughter Abbie, now 8-years-old

Mr McCabe, his partner and child were on their way home from Newcastle Airport to Dundee when the 30-year-old struck the back of the car carrying Marc, Jenna and Abbie.

Miraculously Abbie, now eight, survived after being pulled from the car, and is currently living with her grandparents.

Speaking after the sentence was handed down, mum Lois said: “How can I tell Abbie that her mums life is only worth 180 hours community service?

“She’s lost her mother and we’ve lost a daughter, it doesn’t feel like justice has been done.

“It’s awful, we’re devastated, and he should have been given jail time.

“He killed two people, and now he gets to go home to his family and start over again. What are we left with?

“What makes it worse is he denied it from the start, he tried to blame it on everyone else, he blamed it on Marc, and then blame it on the van driver.”

Lois said the family feels as if the whole situation is still unresolved after the sentence.

She said: “The only thing we got from this whole ordeal is that he finally admitted it was his fault, he hasn’t spoke to us since it happened or apologised.

“I don’t think he’s remorseful about it, he only seems to act that way in front of lawyers.

“If he really was remorseful he could have written us a letter or something, we knew him well before this all happened.

“They kept saying in court that he didn’t mean it, and he’d never done anything like that before, but look at his conduct since it happened.

“It took him over a year to even admit he was at fault.

“We’re angry about the sentence, people have been sentenced to six months for texting and driving and that’s all he gets for killing two people, and traumatising that wee lassie?”

29-year-old Jenna was killed in the horrific crash

Dad Frank Tindall added: “This was a horrific crash, it wasn’t just a bump, not only did he kill two people but the van driver was in a coma.

“They don’t tell you the gruesome details.

“The case was too much on his side, we didn’t get to hear the details about what happened because he pled guilty.

“The police had evidence that he was at fault, otherwise it wouldn’t have made it to court.

“They kept saying he didn’t mean it, but it doesn’t matter. Two people are dead.”

In 2014, Sean Mahan, 21, beat a stranger to death after finding him in bed with his mother.

Mahan discovered Mr McKellar in bed with his mother in Balloch while his father was working offshore, and launched a vicious attack.

Mahan pleaded guilty to culpable homicide in 2015 and was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison, but was released earlier this year.